Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Kelly wants to be part of change in Great Falls

Bob Kelly was appointed to the City Commission to fill the remainder of a vacant commission seat in 2012.

In 2013, he was re-elected to serve two more years on the commission.

Now, he’s running for mayor.

“Over the last three years, I’ve learned a lot about the city, the role of the commission and the mayor in particular,” he said.

Kelly has been in Great Falls for the last 21 years and is the retired senior vice president/managing director of municipal bond trading and underwriting for D.A. Davidson and the retired vice president of sports and competition for Special Olympics Montana.

That experience, Kelly said, makes him “the candidate that can bring a complete set of skills to the table to help move Great Falls forward at this exciting time. It allows me to be a chief cheerleaders and advocate for people to move here and enjoy everything we have.”

The 61-year-old said he chose to live in Great Falls after living in other states and countries.

“It’s appealing to people looking for a high quality of life,” he said. “I know having lived other places what a unique and wonderful place this is.”

Kelly said he wants to change the conversation in Great Falls to focus on those aspects.

“I want to change the conversation, to the things we have, the things that are unique about Great Falls and we need to be proud we live here,” he said. “Change begins at the top and I want to be part of it.”

To do that, he said he’d bring up that conversation during commission events, during out of town and out of state events, until eventually, “we’re all a part of that conversation.”

Since filing to run for mayor and while serving as a commissioner, Kelly has been attending meetings of neighborhood councils, the city planning board, the library board and other advisory groups.

He plans to keep that up if he’s elected mayor.

“It’s imperative that any elected official to not only be seen in the community but be playing an active role at events outside our elected office,” Kelly said. “It’s important that the community understand you’re involved, understand you’re part of them, that goes beyond just the commission meetings.”

During the controversial Thaniel Addition votes over the summer, Kelly was criticized by some for serving on the board of NeighborWorks Great Falls. Since the project involved the organization, Kelly recused himself from the discussion and voting.

He has since resigned from the NeighborWorks board so that he can vote on any future projects they bring before the commission, he said.

If elected, Kelly said he hopes to hold public meetings and commission meetings at venues that deserve attention, such as the Natatorium, on a public bus if possible, in the welding classrooms of Montana State University-Great Falls College.

“Let’s bring the government to the people and not always be asking for the people to come to the government,” he said.

Public engagement will be a priority, Kelly said, and he hopes to involve local businesses and other organizations to share best practices with city departments.

“I think there are leaders in Great Falls waiting to be invited to participate in a meaningful way,” he said.

Kelly said that he would continue to learn about the issues facing the commission and seek input from a variety of sources.

“It’s great to say that we will vote the way the people want, but who are the people? The people who come to the meetings? In politics, generally things go the way of the people who show up,” Kelly said. “At end of day, we have to balance wish of the people and overall benefit of the community.”

Kelly has said that both he and the incumbent mayor, Michael Winters, are running with good intentions, but are very different choices.

He encouraged voters to look at his website to learn more about him, or give him a call.

“If they understand those differences and choose not to vote for me, I respect that,” he said. “You have a choice on what kind of person do you want representing you and the city.”